From the original LP notes: Sussex has long been a county associated with folksong. In 1843 the Reverend John Broadwood published his Old English Songs with tunes, 'set to Music exactly as they are now sung, to rescue them from oblivion', and [...]
From the original LP notes: and there would be calls for old David's 'Outlandish Knight'; not because they wanted particularly to hear it - indeed, they had heard it so often they all knew it by heart - but because, as they [...]
From the original LP notes: On this present recording the singers are elderly and it is interesting to note what (EJ) Moeran had to say on this subject. One of the singers there was a man of about fifty who learned his [...]
Harry Boardman sang both unaccompanied and accompanying himself on the anglo-concertina or banjo. He wasactive as a folk singer and collector of Lancashire folklore from the late 1950s with some collaboration from his wife Lesley. Dave Hillery appeared regularly with Harry at [...]
Frank Harte (1933-2005) was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer; a great exponent of the Dublin street ballad and widely known for his distinctive singing, his Dublin accent having a rich nasal quality complementing his often high register. From [...]
From the original LP notes: Like other folksingers, her repertoire encompasses a variety of emotions: anger at needless poverty and exploitation, affirmation of self-help as a way of life, pleasure in love, solace in religion, peace in death. Sarah's prodigious talent has [...]
From the original LP notes: The British Labour Movement has a rich heritage of songs - songs that convey a sense of history, as well as imagery and emotion for present day industrial workers and their friends. The force and tang of [...]
From the original LP notes by Neil Wayne: In this, the sixth Topic/Free Reed release, we present a sample of the playing of eight musicians from various parts of Ireland who play the Anglo concertina. Today, the richest store of traditional concertina [...]
This is the second Topic LP of the music of Tommy McMahon and Bernard O’Sullivan. Like the first record it illustrates the richness, depth and variety of Clare concertina music. The selection here is very varied and includes reels, jigs, hornpipes, set [...]
John Kelly was born in the district of Rehy West, County Clare, and for over thirty years was a force in Irish music - he was a member of Sean O' Riada's Ceoltoiri Cualainn, of the Castle Ceilidh Band, and of Ceoltoiri [...]
Chris Droney's repertoire, unlike that of many musicians, is not dominated by the reel and the jig; his playing is well leavened with the set dances, marches, polkas, hornpipes and slow airs of Clare, music that epitomizes the true traditional repertoire of [...]
The Cock and Bull Band were formed in 1979 from the ashes of Hemlock. Members were Brad Bradstock, John Maxwell, Jean-Pierre Rasle and Dave Whetstone. Paul Martin replaced Brad in 1980 and the band recorded their debut album All Buttoned Up on [...]